Computers

It wouldn’t be a complete Mobile World Congress without an invasion of interchangeable Android and Windows tablets, and perhaps the least exciting brand-name slates to go official in Barcelona these past 24 hours are Lenovo’s IdeaPad Miix 300, Tab 2 A10-70 and Tab 2 A8.

The jig is up, Sony, and we know full well what’s up your sleeve for next week’s Mobile World Congress. The Xperia M4 Aqua is an open book, and the Xperia Z4 Tablet is no big puzzle either. Alas, the Z4 smartphone will most likely stay on the sidelines a couple more months, hopefully to score enough upgrades to clearly set itself apart from the Z3.

Acknowledging it doesn’t stand a chance against the likes of Apple and Samsung in a fair tablet fight for the time being, LG has pulled all the stops recently to make its G Pads too cheap to turn down. With or without contracts, from AT&T or Verizon, via eBay or Newegg, these respectable mid-rangers have constantly undercut iPads and Galaxy Tabs by hundreds and hundreds of dollars.

We’ve all been there: you’re hanging out with your friends in the kitchen, listening to Spotify on a bluetooth speaker, and suddenly a lyric dispute comes up. Quickly, your best friend becomes your mortal enemy as you rewind and play through the troublesome lyric in the chosen song over and over again. Maybe it’s just my group of friends, but we still remember the battle over Nicki Minaj’s “Starships.”

We’ve heard quite a lot about the upcoming Galaxy S Tab successor in the past few weeks. Samsung is rumored to be working on two versions of the new Galaxy Tab S 2 tablets featuring a display of 8-inch and 9.7-inch. We’ve already heard what the tablets will offer, including the high-resolution Super AMOLED. Now, more »

Chromebook Pixel, the flagship laptop bearing an expensive price tag alongside a decent set of specifications will soon get a successor. Speaking at the Google TeamWork 2015 event, Director of Android & Chrome, Google for Work Renee Niemi confirmed that the Google Chromebook Pixel 2 will soon go on sale, but he didn’t shed any details about the pricing or availability — we don’t expect it to be any cheaper than the current laptop.

Forget primitive pens and papers, everyone from Apple to Google to Microsoft is investing more and more resources into bringing the digital revolution to schools across the globe. Tablets and laptops meant to make the learning process easier and more enjoyable have recently planted their roots in the classroom, and Archos is the latest tech industry player to join this noble movement.

Microsoft may have renounced Windows licensing fees for smartphone and small tablet manufacturers, but everyone else still needs to pay. And while laptop prices are forced down by increasing Chromebook competition, there’s little motivation for 10-inch Win slates to drop their retail costs.

Still incapable of truly cracking the mobile success code, Asus goes back to doing what it does best, by launching yet another stunning ultraportable laptop. This one is no MacBook Air “killer”, but at $699 and up, it only has to be a decent, long-lasting, robust alternative.